Fubar: Balls to the Wall:
Deaner is my kind of guy, a Canadian hesher bass-player and all-around dude who only wants to drink beer and worse. After getting a little money he immediately heads out to buy a B.C. Rich Warlock bass guitar, "the evilest bass you can buy with money." "What kind of bass can you buy without money?" asks his friend Terry. What kind of stupid question is that? It's just the kind of balls to the wall stupidity you'll find spread throughout this 85-minute movie like bacon-flavored mayo on a pimento loaf sandwich. Damn, now I'm hungry.

Me? I'm the kind of guy whose intimate knowledge of Canadian comedy begins and ends with Doug and Bob McKenzie, those famous '80s hosers from SCTV. So, even though Fubar II (as it was originally titled) is a sequel to a mockumentary from 2002, most Dean and Terry fans are likely too young to have enjoyed Doug and Bob's heyday. It's no problem since Dean and Terry bear a remarkable resemblance to the first pair. They love beer, they pronounce 'about' like 'aboat' and they're pretty damn aimless and sweet.

Poor Dean suffers from testicular cancer in the first movie, but now he's five years cancer free and about to be evicted. Luckily Dean and Terry's friend Tron (the awesome Andrew Sparacino) offers them high-paying jobs laying pipe up in Fort McMurray, Alberta, where there's little to do but work, drink beer at Peelerz - the local strip club, and try to cook up injuries in order to collect workers comp. Despite the desolate setup, Dean and Terry manage to cram this madcap festival of debauchery with enough swearing, drinking, dope smoking and lunacy to fuel a half-dozen National Lampoon movies. There's even some kind of weird message about love, family and Shanto the creepy ninja Santa Claus.

Watching this alone, I've only my own past depravities and sick sense of humor on which to rely. In other words, I love this movie with an apathetic passion. I'd guess it's not one for folks who claim any form of decency, and it's probably not for girls either. But if you love Doug and Bob, Spinal Tap or Trailer Park Boys, (as per the DVD cover) then you'll be licking beer off the floor with the rest of us.

There is throughput, there's a plot, (and that message, which is really pretty sweet) but the mockumentary style really leaves Fubar II open to just turn on the faucets for a series of bizarre, profane and hilarious set-pieces, pretty much all of which are good for anything from snickers to guffaws. We start things off with Deaner's five-years-cancer-free party, during which he humps a trunk-load of pilsner and Tron busts out some wicked freestyle rapping before attacking the house with a chainsaw. Such things are guaranteed laughs for the right crowd. David Lawrence (Terry) and Paul Spence (Dean) - co-writers, and Michael Dowse (Director) miss no opportunity to turn the insanity up to 11, but they haven't forgotten to make the boys both human and complex. Not everything is over-the-top, either, such as Dean losing control of a remote control helicopter during a vacation at the West Edmonton Mall. But touches like Tron's secret rap obsession - apparently due to his friendship with a character referred to as Black Market Nigerian - give Fubar fans plenty of credit.

I guess what I'm saying is you don't even need a pallet of cheap beer to enjoy Fubar: Balls to the Wall, although you'll probably want one after a few minutes. Just kick back and enjoy the insanity. You emotionally immature reprobates won't stop laughing, and if you find a tear in your eye after the final frame, don't say I didn't warn you. Meanwhile, I'm off to find my bass and drink some beer.

The DVD

Video:
What we have here at DVD Talk is a shrink-wrapped presale screener - the good old-fashioned kind with packaging that touts reasons why retailers should order this DVD, including the hilarious mention that they intend to capitalize on the 'stoner dollar' by releasing it on 4/20. So, is it final product, or what? Yes and no, I guess. The fullframe 1.78:1 ratio presentation certainly looks fine, with nice, realistic, at times luscious colors, and a fairly sharp image. Detail levels are OK, and I couldn't spot any serious compression artifacts, except for a burn in that read "Screening Purposes Only" which appeared every ten minutes or so.

Sound:
Dolby Digital audio ends up sounding OK, too, featuring a pretty nice hard rock soundtrack to boot. Early party scenes suffer a tiny bit from bad room sound, but overall things end up on track, with every F-word coming through loud and clear.

Extras:
Here's where it gets tricky, with special features unspecified, but promised to be included on the live version of the DVD. A Commentary Track is also promised to be on the live version, otherwise known as final product.

Final Thoughts:
Beer swilling, pot smoking, hard rock loving Canadian losers Dean and Terry find themselves forced to work for a living in hardscrabble Fort McMurray, Alberta. While there Terry finds love, and Dean finds himself adrift. You'll find countless jokes about how clueless and crass these two really are. If you love your comedy outrageous and stupid, but give yourself credit for some intelligence, you'll find this hilarious, joke-packed movie Recommended.